Exploring Different Settings

Overview

• Year Group: 6
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Class size: 4 students
• Unit: Setting the Scene (Lesson 8 of 24)
• National Curriculum Links:
  • English - Reading: Comprehension
    • Pupils should be taught to identify and discuss themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing (PoS section: Reading – comprehension 2a/b).
  • English - Writing: Composition
    • Pupils should plan their writing by identifying the audience, purpose, and form (PoS section: Writing – composition 1a).
  • English - Spoken Language
    • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates (PoS section: Spoken language 1c/d).

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify at least three different types of settings in stories: urban, rural, and fantasy.
• Describe and discuss the unique characteristics of each setting type.
• Compare how settings influence the mood or tone of a story.
• Begin to apply this understanding to their own writing plans by selecting settings that suit their story purpose and audience.

Reference National Curriculum:

• Read and discuss a wide range of texts with a focus on setting (Reading - comprehension, KS2)
• Develop skills to plan writing by considering audience, purpose and form (Writing – composition, KS2)
• Participate actively in discussions, articulating ideas clearly and listening to others (Spoken Language, KS2)

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Resources Needed

• Printed or projected extracts from three short stories or texts illustrating urban, rural, and fantasy settings (1 per student)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Setting characteristics chart (prepared on paper or digitally)
• Story planning worksheet (focus: setting selection)
• Art materials (coloured pencils, paper) for quick sketching activity
• Timer or stopwatch

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Starter Question:
  Ask students: "Think about your favourite stories or films. Can you name some different places where these stories happen?" Write responses on the whiteboard.
• Briefly introduce the term setting and explain the lesson aim: to explore different types of settings and their special features.

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2. Defining and Identifying Settings (10 minutes)

• Show the students three very short extracts:
  • Urban setting: A busy city street scene.
  • Rural setting: Countryside with fields and farm animals.
  • Fantasy setting: A magical forest or castle.
• Read each extract aloud.
• Interactive activity: Each student reads one extract again silently then identifies key words or phrases that help them understand the setting.
• Gather answers and create a "Setting Characteristics" chart on the board — columns for urban, rural, fantasy and rows for features like sights, sounds, atmosphere, mood.

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3. Group Discussion (10 minutes)

• Discuss:
  • What makes each setting unique? (e.g. urban = busy/noisy, rural = peaceful/natural, fantasy = imaginative/magical)
  • How do these settings make you feel? How might they affect a story’s mood?
  • Which setting would be best for different genres—mystery, adventure, fairy tale? Why?
• Encourage students to support their ideas with examples.

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4. Creative Application (15 minutes)

• Mini-sketch and write:
  • Each student chooses one type of setting (urban, rural or fantasy).
  • They quickly sketch a scene inspired by the setting on paper (5 mins).
  • Under the sketch, write 3-5 descriptive sentences focusing on the setting’s key features and atmosphere.
• Share sketches and sentences with the group, highlighting use of vocabulary and mood setting.
• Facilitate peer feedback: What works well? How could the setting be made more vivid?

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5. Plenary and Assessment (5 minutes)

• Recap key points:
  • What are the three main types of settings?
  • How do writers use setting to influence stories?
• Exit task: Each student verbally states one new thing they learned about settings.
• Hand out a simple story planning template for homework or next lesson, asking them to select a setting and jot down ideas about how it will shape their story.

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Differentiation and Support

• For students needing extra help, provide a glossary of key vocabulary related to settings (e.g. urban, landscape, atmosphere).
• For more able students, encourage using more sophisticated vocabulary or combining elements of settings (e.g. urban-fantasy).
• Small group size (4 students) allows personalised feedback and support during activities.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative assessment of student understanding during group discussion and oral responses.
• Evaluation of descriptive sentences and sketches for grasp of setting characteristics and mood.
• Use exit task responses to check individual learning progress.

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Extension Activities (Optional)

• Students write a short story or scene using one chosen setting in the next lesson.
• Create ‘Setting Soundscapes’ using found sounds or recorded audio to accompany each setting type.
• Drama activity: Role-play characters living in different settings to explore how environment shapes behaviour.

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By combining precise curriculum objectives with engaging and varied activities, this lesson encourages Year 6 pupils to critically explore and creatively apply their understanding of story settings in meaningful ways that develop their reading, speaking, and writing skills.